


Sew Your Heart To My Sleeve

by maydayparade8123



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, cinderella type thing btw, this isn't my best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 13:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maydayparade8123/pseuds/maydayparade8123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Thalia Grace is a modern-day Cinderella with a few tweaks and Nico di Angelo isn't the prince, but rather the dark knight that doesn't know anything besides loving her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sew Your Heart To My Sleeve

Thalia Grace was what you could consider a modern day Cinderella.

She had a mother – rather than a stepmother – who was terrible, probably breaking a thousand child labor laws by all the work Thalia was forced to do. Instead of two evil stepsisters though, as the cliché and overused story goes, she had one bully of a brother.

Jason Grace, her brother, used to be her best friend, her confidant, the one person she could trust with everything. However, the second he hit high school, Jason let his popularity with the ladies – and with the school itself – go to his head. All the girls loved him – blue eyes, tan skin, muscular, dimpled grin – what was there to hate? He was rude, but people accepted it. After all, he was Jason-fucking-Grace, right? Even getting punched in the face by Jason Grace was a blessing because  _he acknowledged your existence._

So, now, Jason and Thalia didn’t talk much except for when Jason was cutting her down until she was nothing. Honestly, Thalia only had two friends. There was the sweet and smart blonde headed girl, Annabeth Chase who made weekly stops at the bakery Thalia worked at to pick up sweets for her study group. Her boyfriend, Percy, always walked with her, albeit a bit awkwardly, but Thalia knew that he was a friendly guy nonetheless. Percy was her second and final friend.

And quite honestly, that was basically it. She would have made more friends, had she been attending a public school. Thalia was forced by her mother to take online classes, very much against her will. Apparently, that would give Thalia more time to clean and work at the bakery. Thalia thought that was bullshit.

She was acquaintances with a few customers who were regulars; the majority of them were older. However, there was one customer who Thalia just so happened to know came in every day at exactly eleven o’clock in the morning wearing black head to toe.

He always ordered a pure black coffee and a chocolate doughnut every day, and Thalia took his order for him every day. She’d never learned his name because he paid with cash, and she was much too shy to ask for the guy’s name, especially since he had to have a girlfriend.

Thalia had long ago come to terms with the fact that he was utterly gorgeous, almost sickeningly. His hair was long enough to reach the tips of his eyelashes, and it was slightly curly. He had thick, naturally curled eyelashes – the eyelashes girls prayed for but guys didn’t have to try for. He had a perfect complexion; virtually flawless olive skin. His eyes were a different story, dark brown with hints of gold, and sometimes so much emotion pent up within them. His shoulders were broad, he was tall, and his arms were defined enough that you could tell the kid was not wimpy.

And, honestly, what guy looks like that without having a girlfriend?

However, you could tell that those eyes had stories behind it; pain that no one should have to experience.

And for some reason, Thalia wanted to hear every story he had to tell. She wanted to know all of his thoughts, all of his opinions, everything that ran though that guy’s head.

But first, she might want to think about asking his name.

Nico lived alone; his only company was himself and his television.

He didn’t necessarily want it that way, but he was eighteen, and he wasn’t going back to the orphanage. He’d run away at sixteen, positively fed up with the way he got treated there, and how no one cared about his deceased sister.

Bianca had mysteriously disappeared one day. Literally disappeared. They’d gone to bed one night, and Nico couldn’t find her in the morning. Everyone just assumed she was another runaway. However, Nico knew better. Bianca would never, ever, ever run away without grabbing her little brother. They were closer than most siblings, having grown up raising each other. They knew the pain of losing parents; they knew the pain of seeing it happen in front of them.

But that was irrelevant; it didn’t matter now. Bianca was gone and Nico was alone. He worked a shift separate from everyone else’s at the graveyard. In fact, Nico had gotten so used to being alone that he preferred it.

Except for every day at eleven in the morning.

That was a time for  _her_ , and he was more than willing to sit in a table he tended to call his own as he ate his breakfast and slyly listened in on conversations behind the counter. He’d learned her name, Thalia, by hearing the cook yell for her. His initial thought was  _what a beautiful name,_  but he realized how creepy it was that he’d never even greeted her, and yet he knew her name. He also had learned a few facts about Thalia from hearing her converse with customers. She loved black, her family was a bitch, and she absolutely adored coffee. Despite only knowing a few small facts Nico was absolutely taken with her. He’d never been in love, but he figured it had to feel something like what he felt for Thalia.

Every time he walked into the bakery, she gave him a smile that he somehow knew was reserved especially for him. Every time, he got very unmanly butterflies and forced himself not to grin like a fool. Every time he heard her laugh, he wished that he could capture the sound and relish in it for all of eternity. With every new thing he learned about Thalia, he found a new thing to love.

And Nico supposes that’s what he did, anyways. Love Thalia. Nico – when he truly loved something – loved that something with every fiber of his being. He found himself falling without any implications, regrets or second thoughts.

So, Thalia, a girl he’d only known for maybe two months at the most, without even speaking to her, was the girl Nico loved more than anything.

The first time Nico manned up enough to talk to her was when she was running into work late, the same time that he showed up. There were tear tracts on her face, even though she had obviously made an attempt for them to go away. Before she went behind the counter, he lightly grabbed her wrist, only saying two words. “You okay?"

Thalia had given a broken smile, something that was tragically beautiful as she nodded. Nico released her wrist, and she walked behind the counter, heading to the back to clock in, he supposed. A different cashier at the front took his order, and he received his coffee and his doughnut as he took his seat at his table, pulling out his phone and fidgeting with it, playing Temple Run for a few seconds.

And then suddenly the chair in front of him was being occupied and the girl he more or less loved was sitting in front of him. He raised an eyebrow and Thalia picked up his coffee, downing it. “I changed my mind. I’m not okay," Thalia said in a rush, as though she may lose her nerve if she didn’t speak now.

"And what’s wrong?" Nico asked, leaning forward, not even caring that she’d just stolen his coffee. He was desperate to talk to her; excited beyond belief for any piece of information she could give, no matter how miniscule. But, with Thalia, Nico had a hunch that he would believe everything was important.

"Wait, first, what’s your name?"

Nico laughed, which sounded odd to himself because, honestly, when was the last time he’d laughed. “Nico DiAngelo, nice to officially meet you."

"Thalia Grace, same. Okay, so I’m going to tell you something. It’ll probably be all over the place and make absolutely no sense at all, but I don’t really need someone to understand. I just need someone to listen," Thalia said, her voice edging on desperation near the end.

Nico put his phone on silent and shoved it into his pocket, folding his hands on top of the table. “I’m all ears."

So, relieved to finally have someone who’d actually pay attention, Thalia launched into what could be called her life story.

"When I was younger, my father died. I hardly knew him, but I hear that that is a bit of a blessing. According to some people, Dad was an ass. You don’t mind cussing, right?"

"Hell no," Nico replied with a snort. Thalia cracked a small smile.

"Good, because it’ll be happening a lot. Anyways, Dad died, right after Mom had gotten pregnant again with my younger brother Jason. Mom kind of went blank after that, for lack of a better description. She didn’t really do anything. She’d stay in her room and sleep most of the time, which left me to raise my little brother for the most part. So, of course, me and Jason were close. Closer than most siblings, I suppose, because I was more or less his mother. I taught him how to walk and speak, until he got into school and they handled all of that. By the time that I’d reached fourth grade, Mom was back, but she was terrible. She forced me to clean the entire damn house every day, and we lived in practically a mansion, so I had no free time and therefore hardly any friends. God, I sound pathetic. I finished fourth grade in public school, but once I was about to reach middle school, she pulled me out of regular classes and got me set up with online school so I’d have more time to work for her. I carried on like that, and still took care of Jason because regardless of the fact that she was ‘back’, she still wasn’t a mother. I was doing fine in online school, so Mom didn’t let me back into public school when I’d reached high school level. She made me start working at the bakery that she owns somehow. I worked there for at least seven or eight hours a day. We do catering, so it’s quite a bit of work, honestly. When Jason entered high school, he started being an asshole, too. He was really popular because apparently he’s hot and talented and athletic and all these other things. So, he knew that he could manipulate people, you know? He just started using people, especially me. Even though I was basically his fucking mom, and we’d been so close, he started treating me like his servant or something. Mom started calling me her maid, making me cook for her every damn night and clean all night after that. I had to do all of the laundry, take out the trash, sweep, mop and wax floors, vacuum carpet. It was a lot ridiculous, but I was forced to do it every day. I took it though, because I didn’t want to leave my little brother who still doesn’t give a shit. It was all for nothing, really. Mom treats me like shit, Jason treats me like shit. Everyone who works at this bakery hates me and I have like two friends in total. My life in general is shit. So, this morning, when Mom told me to do the dishes, which was a ridiculous amount because she’d had a bunch of friends over really early that morning, I said no. I don’t know what possessed me to say that, but I’m just so damn tired of it, Nico! Anyways, she yelled at me, calling me a bunch of things that are just disgusting and terrible. She basically told me that I’m never going to amount to anything in life, and that I’m going to end up like my father, getting murdered since everyone hates me. Then she punched me, and  _god_ , there’s only so much a person could take. I walked out, of course, since I needed to get to my job and then on the way here I just felt like I was under too much pressure for an eighteen year old and I missed my old little brother, and my old mother, and I just hated what my life had become and… I cried. I don’t do it that often, I promise, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. God, I just wanted to jump off a building or something–"

"No!" Nico said, jumping a little as he realized that it was his voice that had interrupted. “I mean, you can’t do that."

"Why?" Thalia asked, looking confused.

"Because… I haven’t even got to talk to you that much! I just spoke to you for the first time this morning and–"

"So you’ve wanted to speak to me?" Thalia asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

"Maybe."

"Huh."

"Yeah…"

Thalia snorted in laughter. “Anyways, to conclude, I can’t live there anymore, obviously, she’d kill me for walking out on her, and I told everyone that I quit because I don’t want to work for her anymore. However, that was probably a really stupid idea because I forgot to get an apartment or a hotel room or something–"

"You can stay with me until you get everything settled."

Thalia smiled an odd smile. “But you don’t even know me."

"You seem trustworthy."

"What if I’m a murderer?"

"I can die happy knowing that I actually talked to you," Nico said, without really thinking.

Thalia looked down at the table, smiling and blushing a little. “Well, thank you."

"For offering you a place to stay or talking to you?" Nico questioned.

"Both, I guess," Thalia said. “I probably would still be working here and hating my life if you wouldn’t have asked me if I was okay." Nico smiled softly and nodded.

"Should we go then?"

"Now?"

"Would you prefer to stay and hate your life?" Nico asked with a smirk. Thalia laughed and stood up, following Nico out the door. They got glares from those working behind the counter, but Thalia waved and flashed an innocent smile. Nico chuckled to himself and rounded the corner to the parking lot.

Thalia had been living with Nico for a total of three months, and they both knew that if Thalia wanted to, she would have already had an apartment and a hotel room to live in. Nico never told her to get out, and Thalia never seemed to have an inclination to move.

Despite the fact that she didn’t help out with the rent, and never helped pay for groceries, Nico was perfectly fine with her simply being there. She did the laundry, washed dished, swept; sometimes cleaning more often than necessary out of habit.

When times like that happened, Nico would walk up to her, and hug his best friend from behind as he kissed her cheek softly and order her to take a break. She’d always let out a deep breath and rest in his arms for a few moments before affectionately kissing his cheek as well. Typically, they’d watch a movie together after.

It’d been three months of living together, and the boundaries of friendship weren’t defined. Thalia would sometimes sit on Nico’s lap, snuggling up to him and burying her nose in his neck. Sometimes she would fall asleep with her head resting on his chest and their legs intertwined. They’d hug and kiss each other on the cheek, neck, or shoulder all the time. Being affectionate was natural between the two. They were both damaged, and probably needed to be held closely and simply told that they were appreciated just to make it through the day.

They needed each other, relied on each other in more ways than one.

Now, Thalia couldn’t fall asleep without the sound of Nico’s heartbeat just beneath her ear. Now, Nico couldn’t even remember what it was like to not hear her voice wake him, singing softly in the kitchen.

Coming from not even knowing each other’s name, Nico thought they were doing a pretty damn good job at being friends.

It was a shock when there was a knock at the door, on a Monday morning no less. Thalia and Nico had been curled up on the couch, legs intertwined and Thalia carding her fingers though Nico’s hair. They both frowned at the door, as though it had committed a terrible crime. They  _never_  had visitors.

"I call not getting it," they said in unison, Nico’s voice being a little quieter from the sleepy state he was in. With Thalia’s hands running through his hair, he was practically incoherent. That was his weak spot. Run your hands through Nico’s hair, and he’s like a kitten. He literally purrs, sometimes, Thalia swears.

"You said it quieter," Thalia said in a sing-song voice.

"How about we both get it?"

Thalia sighed heavily, but complied nonetheless, standing up after Nico. They walked slowly over the door, willing for the person who knocked to just simply leave. They liked their little space, separate from the word – perhaps a little anti-social – but personal, theirs.

However, when they opened the door, both of their hands resting on the doorknob, they saw someone who was standing confidently in front of the door, not poised as though she was going to leave anytime soon.

"Thalia," Annabeth said, nodding to her. She looked deathly serious as she shifted her eyes to Nico. “Who’s tall, dark and intimidating over here?"

Thalia chuckled. “It’s really nice to see you! And this is–"

A phone started ringing, cutting Thalia off abruptly. Annabeth sighed loudly and impatiently. “What?" she snapped into the phone.

Even though it wasn’t on speaker, you could clearly hear the other side of the phone call. “Babe! Where are you?"

"I’m at Thalia’s, and now I have to go, so–"

"Let me come! Babe, I am  _so_  bored you have no clue! Please please please please please–!"

"Tell him that he can come if he shuts the hell up," Nico muttered, much to Thalia’s amusement.

"Percy, shut up. Now." After silence was heard on the line, Annabeth recited the address to Percy who took it without speaking.

"Thanks!" Percy said happily into the phone. “Love you, babe."

"Yeah, yeah," Annabeth said, blushing lightly and smiling to herself, kicking the ground a little. “Love you, too. See you in a bit."

"Awww," Thalia mock cooed. Annabeth rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. “Wait – how did you even find out where I was?"

Annabeth groaned. “It was a lot of work. I had to go through an angry manager at the bakery, a livid mother, more angry workers who just so happened to know that you left with some random guy who worked at the graveyard, so I went there, got his address from his employer and here I am."

Thalia nodded appreciatively as Nico hummed in surprise. “You really wanted to find us. Ever thought of being a detective? A cop? Private Investigator?"

Annabeth held her chin up higher. “I have. But I’m setting my sights on architecture."

"I see. Shame. You’d do great in the criminal justice field," Nico replied.

"I agree," Thalia added. “Want to come inside while we wait for your lover?"

Annabeth coughed and blushed. “Um, yes." They stopped standing in the doorway and instead fell onto the couch, Thalia automatically laying back against Nico. “Wait, I never got your name," Annabeth said suddenly.

"Nico DiAngelo. And I might just take back saying that you’d be a good detective. How in the hell did you get my address and not my name?" Nico questioned.

Annabeth shrugged. “I was focused on finding Thalia, who seemed to disappear off the face of the earth! Where have you been?" Annabeth turned her gaze to Thalia, eyes narrowed and expression skeptical.

"With Nico," Thalia said. “Obviously."

"Are you guys… like… a thing?"

Thalia and Nico both laughed and he put his head on hers and hugged her tightly. “Oh, no," Nico said.

"Really?" Annabeth asked, sounding truly astonished. She looked between the both of them, seemingly analyzing their expressions to notice dishonesty. After none was apparently detected, she said, “Seriously?"

"No," Thalia said sarcastically. “We have hardcore sex every chance we get. Actually, that’s why we took so long to get to the door. We had to put our clothes back on."

"No need for the sass," Annabeth chided. “You guys just act like a couple. Super-affectionate, love-eyeing each other–"

"We are not!" Nico and Thalia said in unison.

"Saying things at the same time," Annabeth grumbled. After Thalia shot her a little glare, Annabeth held up her hands as a while flag. “Fine, fine! I give!"

They settled into a comfortable conversation about television, which eventually turned into college plans, in which Thalia and Nico had none. Annabeth seemed a bit disproving, but they didn’t really mind. It was nice to not have a plan; to not have obligations.

Halfway through Annabeth’s explanation about why she’d rather go to Stanford, there was a second knock at the door. Since they had a hunch it’d be Percy, Nico called out for him to come in, accidently yelling in Thalia’s ear. Thalia had since moved into his lap as the conversation had went on. Thalia winced, frowned, and punched his shoulder. Nico replied by kissing the tip of her ear and whispering an apology in her ear. She settled after that, leaning back into his embrace and fidgeting with his hands.

"That’s cute," Annabeth said just as Percy walked through the door.

"You guys are a couple? Nice. You guys look like a good match. Not that I should necessarily be making any judgments about you guys as a couple, seeing as I don’t know either of you very well. Oh, I’m Percy by the way," Percy said, seemingly too energetic and a little too excited for human contact. He waved before sitting by Annabeth loyally, kissing her cheek and resting his arm on the back of the couch.

"He talks a lot," Thalia stage whispered to Annabeth. “And we aren’t a couple," Thalia said a little louder, addressing Percy.

"I know," Annabeth said, “more often than not about nothing."

"I’m still here you know," Percy grumbled. “And you guys act like a couple."

"We know," Annabeth said witheringly.

"Hi Thalia!" Percy said, ignoring Annabeth’s comment and waving to Thalia. “Hi broody guy who Thalia is sitting on," Percy said after, nodding at Nico.

"I’m broody?" Nico asked, looking to Thalia, then back at Percy.

"A bit, man," Percy affirmed.

"Thanks!" Nico said, whole heartedly, as though Percy had given him a golden compliment.

Percy looked at Nico oddly, but laughed as he said, “you’re welcome." He looked to Thalia, “Where were you at all that time? What was it, three months?"

Thalia nodded, patting Nico’s hand and stating that she was with him.

And the thing is, no one ever asked them to elaborate on that statement. They simply nodded, and moved on.

Percy and Annabeth stayed for an hour or two more before stating that they were having lunch with Percy’s mother. They promised to visit soon after Thalia told them they should, and they said their goodbyes.

After they left, Thalia fell onto the couch after Nico as they watched terrible daytime television.

An hour later, when Nico had to leave for work, he grabbed his jacket and kissed Thalia on the cheek, as always, as she handed him his thermos of pure black coffee. He grinned and gave her a hug before heading out the door. It was something that happened on a daily basis, and Nico would always call out a quick, “love you! See you soon!" as he left.

Thalia set out to clean, to busy herself while Nico was gone. She swept the floors of the rather large apartment, mopping them after. She cleaned all of the dishes, washing them by hand out of habit and forgetting about the useful dishwasher just to the left of the sink. Thalia did a load of laundry and made the bed, despite the fact that they’d simply mess up the sheets when they went to sleep later that night. She had no need to fix up the guest bed, seeing as she never slept in it. She dusted the shelves, even though she had done it the day before and scrubbed the counters mercilessly. Thalia took out the trash, vacuumed the living room, and was about to start on the oven when two firm arms wrapped around her waist.

Thalia sighed contently, automatically feeling her tense muscles relax a little bit. Nico moved his hands to her shoulders, working out the knot between her shoulders. “You have got to stop this," Nico whispered. “My apartment is literally  _too_  clean."

Thalia laughed lightly. “It’s a habit. A hard one to break, too. I mean, you’d think after being free I’d start being a lazy bum or something, but no.. I still keep working, even though I don’t really need, too." Thalia felt her tense shoulders relax entirely as Nico finished the small massage he’d given her. She kissed his knuckles to say thank you and he muttered about how the gesture made him feel like a girl. As Thalia chuckled, he swept her up into his arms, sitting her easily on the counter.

"Stay," Nico ordered, pointing at Thalia like a dog. She snorted and rolled her eyes. He set about making her coffee, something that she couldn’t be more grateful for. “I really want you to stop cleaning so much. You’ll kill yourself that way," Nico said softly.

"I’m sorry," Thalia said, feeling guilty, though she didn’t know why. “I just feel like I owe you – or something – and it’s a habit, practically part of my routine nowadays."

Nico turned around abruptly, setting the coffee issue to rest and walking to Thalia so he could pull her in for a tight hug. “Don’t you ever, ever, ever feel like you owe me anything," Nico said as softly as he could. Because she was on the counter, he could most easily reach her neck. He kissed her jaw first, then pressed an affectionate kiss to her neck as he nuzzled her with his nose. Thalia ran her hands through his hair, gripped his face and kissed his cheek gratefully.

Except, for some ungodly reason, when she finished kissing his cheek, she couldn’t find it in herself to exactly let him go. He was so careful with her, so grateful to even have her around. He never asked for anything in return, never asked her to get out of his apartment and get a job. Thalia’s heart swelled with emotion for the boy in front of her. All he did was give, give, give without ever expecting anything back.

"I love you," she told him, her voice heavy with conviction. Nico closed his eyes and let himself pretend that she meant it in  _that_  way. The way that Nico loved Thalia.

"I love you, too," he replied as she pressed her lips to his cheek again, despite the fact that she was itching to feel if Nico’s lips were as soft as they looked.

The first time Thalia and Nico had said ‘I love you’ to each other had been about two months after Thalia had moved in. It was a casual thing that had happened, honestly. Thalia had brought Nico coffee in bed one morning when he was especially tired. He’d accepted it, taken a sip, looked her in the eye and said, “I love you."

Nico himself had meant in genuinely – he definitely loved the girl that stood before him. The way she would always toss her hair out of her face and put it up as though it were the biggest hassle in the world. The way she’d get excited when her favorite song came on the radio they had in the kitchen. The way she’d sing until Nico woke up, then she’d make him breakfast, all the while keeping up a most one-sided conversation. Thalia, in Nico’s eyes, was everything he ever wanted and more.

However, after Nico’s confession, Thalia had simply replied with an, “I love you, too," as she kissed his forehead.

And even if she hadn’t meant it in  _that_  way, Nico still loved hearing the words spoken towards him. The last time he’d had someone say “I love you" to him was before Bianca left. Even if Nico was more of a lone wolf, everyone needed a little bit of affection in their life. And Thalia was that part of his life. She’d hug him after a long say at work, kiss his cheek and make him feel like he  _mattered_.

And maybe, just maybe, that was all he really needed. To feel… needed. To feel like someone relied on him, and he had some sort of responsibility. Otherwise, he’d probably be a huge couch potato, hardly every moving except to shower every once in a while, eat, and use the bathroom.

But now that he had Thalia, Nico had a purpose. He had someone to come home too, someone who needed his help.

And how enthusiastic he was about helping in every single way possible was probably a little outrageous.

**(A/N: Youtube this song, Lego House by Ed Sheeran.)**

It was Thalia’s fault they ever crossed over the ‘only friends’ line.

Honestly.

She really  _shouldn’t_  have been in Nico’s jacket and a pair of his sweatpants, laying on the floor in the kitchen and singing her favorite song, Firefly by Ed Sheeran as loudly as she could when Nico got home.

Actually, maybe she just shouldn’t have had her Ed Sheeran CD in rather than her usual Green Day CD. Because too many of his songs made Nico think about Thalia. Actually, one in particular, called Lego House, made him think about him and Thalia more than he should.

But Thalia just had to have that song on the CD as well, and it just had to be the song that played right after she was done belting out the lyrics of Firefly. Nico entered the kitchen as the first notes of Lego House started. He put his coffee thermos in the sink and pulled Thalia up off the floor, pressing his chest against hers and ordered her to dance with him.

Of course, she’d accepted. They danced around a little goofily for the first verse, but by the time the chorus came, Nico had let it get too serious. He was staring at Thalia too deeply, and Thalia seemed to notice as she started simply swaying with him, rather than dancing dramatically.

“ _I’m out of touch; I’m out of love. I’ll pick you up when you’re getting down. And out of all these things I’ve done, I think I love you better now…"_

And for some unknown reason, Nico had pressed his face against Thalia’s neck as he sang the lyrics softly. It didn’t go unnoticed that Thalia got goosebumps, and it didn’t go unnoticed that the moment was a little too intimate for ‘friends. Thalia’s hand was firmly resting on Nico’s chest, the other on the back of his neck. He had his hands resting on her waist. As the song kept playing, Nico let out a deep breath, right onto Thalia’s skin. She shivered, much to Nico’s amusement.

"I love you," Nico sing-songed, trying to make the moment lighter, but only seeming to weigh it down more.

"Do you?" Thalia asked, so softly that Nico nearly missed it.

And for some reason, this question was different from the playful one sometimes asked, usually followed by an “psh, I  _know_  you love me". This was serious, this question was meant to be answered honestly and not to be taken lightly.

And that scared him.

Because of course, he loved Thalia, but telling her that he  _really_  loved her could potentially scare her off, could potential ruin whatever they had at the moment. Having Thalia as a friend that he was forever in love with, but never allowed to be with was better than no Thalia at all.

As he was still thinking over what to say, he hardly noticed Thalia lifting his head off her shoulder and he absently complied, lost in thought.  _It should definitely be kept a secret; better safe than sorry_  –

And suddenly there were lips against his, and  _no_  they couldn’t possibly be  _hers_ because she didn’t like him in that way. She’d made that perfectly clear every time someone questioned whether or not they were together. Thalia couldn’t possibly be the one kissing him, couldn’t be the one giving him the most unmanly set of butterflies, and couldn’t possibly be the one driving him absolutely  _crazy_  as she tugged lightly at his hair to pull him closer.

Except, when air became positively necessary, and Nico opened his eyes, there was bright blue staring back at him, full of mirth and a bit of a question. Thalia  _was_ the one he had been kissing.

The adrenaline of the thought mixed with entirely too much emotion as Ed Sheeran continued his soulful singing in the background practically forced Nico to put his hands on the back of Thalia’s thighs, ordering that she jump. Understanding immediately, as though they’d done this a thousand times, Thalia wrapped her legs around Nico’s waist and her arms around his neck just in time for him to lean her back on the wall.

The second kiss was a little more desperate than anything, all of Nico’s emotions from the first day pouring out into something that was breathtakingly amazing to Thalia. The thing is, Thalia had noticed the lingering glances, the way his eyes lit up with love when he saw her, but she never let herself believe it was anything more than friends. Because why would it be? Nico was virtually flawless, too good for her, too absolutely giving and gracious.

However, she knew that it was real, knew that  _he_  was real, and knew that the kiss was real as soon as he pulled back to rest his forehead against hers as her said, “I really do."

And it took Thalia a second to understand what he meant through the haze in her mind, the cloud that seemed to block everything out as she kissed Nico, but finally she realized that he’d referred to her earlier question. And if that was his answer, then that meant that he really, truly did love Thalia, and she didn’t have to pretend that he meant it in that way all that time. She let out something that was a half laugh, half sigh of content. Nico carried her over to the counter and set her down, going back to fixing the coffee as though nothing had happened.

"I kind of have since before I knew your name," Nico said a bit sheepishly, but conversationally as he poured the water into the coffee maker. “These past few months have just been me falling a little more in love with you every day," Nico said dramatically, even going as far as to make a hand gesture that only added drama.

Thalia laughed, shaking her head. “Cheese ball."

"You like it," Nico said decidedly, shrugging his shoulders as he poured a cup of coffee and put two spoons of sugar in for Thalia’s cup.

"I love it, actually." Nico handed over her coffee with a full-on smile, a gorgeous one full of love, contentment, happiness and a thousand other good emotions. She set it on the counter next to her and Nico frowned, thinking that the coffee he made was in vain, and gasped when Thalia yanked on the belt loops of his dark jeans. He slammed into the counter a little harshly, and probably would have winced at the sharp pain in his right hip, but he kind of forgot about that because Thalia kissed him again. It wasn’t like the first kiss – hestitant – or the second kiss – needy and messy – but it was soft, nearly just a brushing of lips that took Nico’s breath away.

After she released him, he shoved her a little. “Don’t do that," he muttered.

"What? Don’t kiss you?" Thalia asked with a smirk.

"No, not that. Just don’t… make me feel like the girl in the relationship."

"Nico, may I remind you that we would be sitting here having a boring conversation about who-knows-what while drinking coffee if I hadn’t have kissed you earlier? Sometimes the girl has to take initiative. That doesn’t meant that you’re less manly," Thalia explained, smirk staying intact all the while.

"But you kissed my hand earlier–"

"Nico, just drink your coffee. Your argument is invalid and I win."

But, you see, Nico did have to reinstate the fact that he was the man in the relationship, and therefore, he did exactly the opposite, putting down the coffee he’d poured for himself as he took Thalia’s face in his hands, holding her like she were breakable, fragile China as he kissed her.


End file.
